Content Strategy 2015 Highlights

It’s been a big year for the field of content strategy. New ideas and trends come every year, but in 2015 we saw a few key ideas gain traction, and the content strategy community helped those ideas evolve into true calls to action.

In May, Jonathan Colman waxed poetic on the fear we experience and the love we share when tackling the world’s biggest problems. He managed to combine scientific exploration, creative solutions, information architecture, and Doctor Who, resulting in a mirror shining on our field, and an inspirational challenge to all who dream, all who dare… all content strategists.Check out Wicked Ambiguity on Jonathan’s blog.

Edge cases drive us batty. They don’t quite fit the mold, and there’s always some reason they matter. This September, Sara Wachter Boettcher reminded us why they matter: because they are us. We are all, at one time or another, an edge case, and when an experience doesn’t account for our needs it can be frustrating in the best cases, and traumatic at worst. Everybody Hurts is a talk that should remind us how to design for people, and why to design for kindness.Check out Everybody Hurts on Sara’s blog.

Content Strategy for the Web is now 6 years old. While (obviously) content strategy for the web is still needed, the world has changed. Experiences aren’t divided into those for the web and those for the “real world,” and our strategies need to reflect that. Kristina Halvorson’s presentation, Content Strategy for Everything, brings our field happily into the future. It’s a lesson well-taught for well established ocntent strategists just as much as for those new to the field.Check out Content Strategy for Everything on Slideshare.